Berlin, Deutschland

26.10.2017 – 29.10.2017

BERLIN, GERMANY

I love Berlin. End of story.
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Just kidding (well, only a little). This city is so freaking cool and there is so much to see, we already need to plan a return trip. The weather wasn’t great, in fact it was kind of miserable… cold, rainy, windy. But we still spent hours walking around and exploring. We stayed in a cute little hipster neighborhood, Prenzlauer Berg, in East Berlin. It is filled with cafes, bars, restaurants with all kinds of offerings from burgers to dim sum to traditional German cuisine and more, art supply shops, record shops, and little boutiques. I could easily live there. The entire city has a really creative and energetic vibe to it.

It seemed that everywhere we went there were historical monuments, memorials, and (free) museums. This is a place where many horrible things have happened in the past and it’s difficult to begin to reconcile a lot of that in my head. It was really impressive to see how this history isn’t hidden away, it’s out for all to see, learn about and reflect on. I think this is how we heal and better understand how and why these things happened in order to never let them happen again.

The Stats:
60,060 Steps
3 S-Bahn Rides
10+ U-Bahn
2 Trains
7 Trams
2 Bus Rides
2 Flights (1 cancelled due to airline bankruptcy)

20171026_164257 — Topography of Terror – an indoor/outdoor museum at the location of the former Nazi Regime administrative offices

P1020431 — One of the only remaining original buildings from pre-WWII, now a government tax agency office. It was from this building that a DDR employee hid his family and in the dark of night zip-lined from the upper windows across and over the Berlin Wall, one of the 5,000 successful attempts by East Berliners to escape.

P1020493 — Taking a break at the Reichstag on our 15km-ish (awesome) bike tour all across the city

P1020345 — Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral)

P1020406 — Rotes Rathaus (Red City Hall)

P1020407 — Berliner Fernsehturm (TV Tower)

P1020422 — Who won the cold war? FAST FOOD!

IMG_20171028_111855 — Our tour guide’s map of the Allied-Occupied Germany

P1020423 — A more accurate map of East and West Berlin

P1020417 — Bebelplatz, the square outside of Humboldt-Universität and the location of one of the largest Nazi book burnings

Empty bookshelves, enough to hold the 20,000 books burned here in 1933

P1020433 — One of the three remaining Berlin Wall Watchtowers from the original 300+

P1020447 — Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe – Really a beautiful and moving place to experience

P1020469 — Siegessäule (Victory Column) in the background, or as American GI’s called it “chick on a stick”

P1020496 — Bundeskanzleramt (German Chancellery)

Paris

Berlin

Venice

The four horses at the top of Brandenburg Gate are modeled after the original Roman sculpture placed on the St. Mark’s Church in Venice after the sack of Constantinople in 1204. Napoleon stole them in 1797 and placed them upon the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel in Paris but were later returned to Venice. (photos, left to right: Paris, Berlin, Venice) Kind of interesting that we have seen all three sets. Here is a long article if you’re interested in learning more.